Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Swarm

Galos hovered a thousand meters high, his Dragon Eyes locked onto the Rock-Breaking Worm below.

Using the Life Level Investigation Technique, Galos had already determined that the Rock-Breaking Worm was a level 7 lifeform, just like his current level.

Life Level Investigation Technique—this was the magic-like skill he awakened a year ago.

The Dragon Race is a top-level magic creature, inherently mages by nature, and as they age, they naturally master many spells originating from their bloodline.

These spells are different from Magic; their power is weaker but can be cast instantly, also known as magic-like skills.

The Life Level Investigation Technique is one of them.

Normally, young dragons aren’t yet capable of awakening or mastering magic-like skills.

Galos, due to adaptive evolution, has not only physically grown rapidly, but he also mastered some magic-like skills in advance.

“Being at the same level as me, I should be able to take it down safely.”

Life level is just a reference; there are many creatures that can fight above their level, with the Dragon Race being among the top. Galos, by nature cautious and steady, chose not to consider hunting above his level for now, focusing on the Rock-Breaking Worm at his level as the target.

Galos retracted his Long Wei, his Dragon Wings vibrating with minimal movement, gradually closing in on the target from above.

The Rock-Breaking Worm senses the position of creatures through vibrations.

As the breeze swept by, the Rock-Breaking Worm, basking in the sun, suddenly raised its head alertly, blinking its tiny, almost invisible eyes like green peas.

The powerful fierce beasts and magical creatures are everywhere in the wilderness, along with hunting teams formed by intelligent tribes.

Hunting and being hunted is the eternal theme here.

The Rock-Breaking Worm is a powerful hunter, but that doesn’t mean it won’t become prey.

A hundred meters in the air.

Seeing the Rock-Breaking Worm showing an abnormal reaction, Galos, who was slowly vibrating his wings, squinted his eyes. His wings, with a span of over twelve meters, suddenly unfolded, flapping fiercely with the gust of wind.

The young dragon turned into a black and red meteor, diving down with the edges of its wing membranes slicing the air, almost sparking flames.

By the time the Rock-Breaking Worm reacted, the shadow of the Dragon Race had already covered its body.

Without any intention to slow down, Galos, carrying enormous power, dived down like a weapon, crashing onto the Rock-Breaking Worm.

The moment the iron-like insect armor touched Galos’ body.

Under immense impact, the black shell shattered like an eggshell, and the flesh beneath was crushed into pulp.

Crashed! With an earth-shaking momentum resembling an earthquake, the rock slab fractured into countless stones, mixed with dust rising into the air.

The Rock-Breaking Worm, a rather formidable fierce beast even among level 7 lifeforms.

Was hit by the young dragon in a descending collision, its body split directly in half.

And as some of the cushioning scales on Galos fell off, he hardly suffered any impact damage from the fall.

Woo woo woo!

In agony, the Rock-Breaking Worm let out a howl like a strong wind passing through a canyon.

The worm’s vitality is tough. It didn’t die; instead, it burst out with a powerful force like a dying flash, its upper half rolling in a fury, flinging the young dragon toward sharp rock spikes.

The rock spike couldn’t pierce the Dragon Scale; it was crushed instead.

The cushioning scales on the back absorbed the impact energy when colliding with the rock and generated a countershock force.

Galos shot once more at the Rock-Breaking Worm at an even faster speed.

By now, the Rock-Breaking Worm wanted to flee, its serrated mouth-teeth spinning, gnawing at the ground, with half its body already digging underground.

Even with just the upper half.

With the Worm’s regenerative ability, it could gradually restore itself completely.

Feeling the friction vibration of the dragon’s body and air, the part of the Rock-Breaking Worm still exposed above ground had its shell suddenly swell, emitting high-temperature, high-pressure steam from the gaps.

A smell of sulfur rushed straight to the nostrils.

This steam simultaneously bears fire and water-related damage, a life-saving skill of the Rock-Breaking Worm, quite potent.

Galos closed his eyes and charged forward, breaking through the steaming mist with his strong physique, claw tearing open the worm shell again, embedding into the flesh of the Rock-Breaking Worm.

Whoosh!

He beat his strong wings, lifting his body into the air, completely pulling the upper half of the Rock-Breaking Worm out of the ground, then swinging its body around, smashing it repeatedly against surrounding rocks.

The pounding sound continued for a few seconds.

With a wave of his Dragon Wings, he cleared the dust around him.

Galos released his grasping claw; the Rock-Breaking Worm was utterly lifeless, its entire shell heavily fractured, its flesh pulp and unwatchable.

“I used too much force.”

“This Rock-Breaking Worm of the same level seemed utterly unable to resist my power.”

Galos clenched and unclenched his Dragon Claw again, feeling the swiftly receding pain on his body, thinking silently.

The final high-temperature steam of the Rock-Breaking Worm, its fire damage was mostly immune to Galos, and as for the water-related damage, it should have caused Galos some slight trouble, but since he had adapted through targeted training, the minor damage was insignificant.

“My effort to overcome my aversion to water training was effective.”

“Though not specifically measurable, my resistance to water-related damage certainly increased.”

He turned his head to look at the worm’s corpse.

Galos stepped forward, using his claw to peel open the shell, revealing the flesh inside.

Contrary to its frightening exterior, the meat of the Rock-Breaking Worm is rather tender and white, looking quite appetizing, and its taste and texture are superb, cool and refreshing, silky and sweet, almost like vanilla ice cream.

Soon after, having enjoyed the delicacy gained from hunting.

Galos also looked around, his gaze sweeping over the abandoned mine pit.

The place was rugged with strange rocks, surrounded by steep, dangerous rocky layers, the inside full of uneven terrain, littered with collapsed or abandoned mine shafts.

He lifted his wings, descending to the bottom of the mining pit.

Galos closed his eyes slightly, feeling the land beneath him, and soon sensed a faint attraction.

“There are still some residual veins left underground.”

He pondered to himself.

There are quite a few such abandoned mining spots in the Sel Wilderness, but it’s rare to find one that’s mined utterly clean, with more or less some veins remaining.

His gaze swept over the surrounding mine shafts, Galos pondered, this seemed like a good place to inhabit.

Not far from this abandoned mine pit was a piece of woodland, and inside there was also a lake, with a fair number of creatures that resemble gray hyenas.

Water, prey, mineral resources.

Having these elements, it was a good place.

“Once I leave the Iron Dragon Lady, I can occupy this place as the Dragon’s Nest, then make other plans.”

Galos thought.

Suddenly.

The ground trembled slightly.

Galos’ eyes narrowed, his wings flapped, shooting him skyward, disappearing from where he had stood.

Boom!

The rocky ground where he had just stood shattered in an instant as if it were fragile glass, a massive shadow burst out from the earth, propelling itself hundreds of meters into the sky before falling back down.

His tense spirit relaxed slightly.

Galos exhaled, gazing down with lowered eyes.

In his view was a super massive Rock-Breaking Worm, a hundred meters long, coiled at the bottom of the abandoned pit, its shell under the sunlight gleaming with a cold metallic sheen, exuding an overwhelming pressure.

Crack crack crack!

Accompanied by a teeth-chattering noise, the ground continuously cracked, one Rock-Breaking Worm after another bursting out of the ground.

They were densely packed, numerous, the friction and entanglement between their bodies sending shivers down the spine.

“There’s a swarm of Rock-Breaking Worms, and an Insect King present.”

“This place is temporarily out of reach for me.”

“Finding a suitable territory to settle in is evidently not easy.”

The young dragon sighed internally with regret, avoiding the acid rain spewed by the giant worm toward him, flying higher and higher, leaving the area.

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